Enchantress
by InuXKags
Summary: Inuyasha was always bullied at school for being a half demon. One day, his grandfather gave him a golden box for his seventeenth birthday. After the death of Grandpa, weird things have been happening ever since the box mysteriously opened.
1. Grandfather's Gift

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: Hi, again! Another story coming your way. I started working on this story last night for maybe about 4 hours until I passed out and fell asleep. Then, I worked on it for 2 more hours and voila! I hope you like it ^-^ Please read and review! Reviews are greatly appreciated!**

**Grandfather's Gift**

It was hot. Unbearably hot. The sweat poured off of his skin in buckets, dripping on the bedspread. This was why Inuyasha hated the sun. It was hot, which made everything beneath it sweltered. He knelt closer to his buzzing fan, pleading for more draftiness to cool him down.

Naturally, the fan was put at level three, the highest and fastest it could go. The blinds were pulled down, and the heavy drapes shielded the sunlight from splashing in. The lights were switched off as well. However, despite the darkness, the half demon's bedroom was not cool. Heck, it wasn't even at room temperature.

What kind of weather was this for his special day? It was his seventeenth birthday today. Everything was supposed to be perfect for his birthday, right? Because he certainly didn't favor the scorching canary yellow sphere burning everything in its path. He'd rather have it rain than be sunny today.

He picked up his cell phone. The skin of his fingertips relished the coolness of the metal of the cellular device. He pressed the smooth back of the phone to his cheek, savoring the relaxing temperature. Of course, it didn't take long until his warm cheek caused the phone to get tepid.

Inuyasha sighed. He flipped open the phone and scrolled down through his contacts. Who should he call? His childhood friend, or his high school buddy?

He pushed the select button and listened to the faint ringing.

"Hello?" somebody answered.

"Hey, Sango," he said, sounding a little breathless due to the heat. He seated himself on his bed.

"Oh, hey, Yasha! How's it going?"

Well, Miss Tomboy here seemed pretty enthusiastic on this hot day.

"Eh, it's so damn hot here," he griped, fanning himself with his hand. The sweat on his forehead ceased to dissipate from his skin.

"It's not that bad. But considering that you are part demon, it must be hard on you, huh?"

"What, it's not that hot over at your place?"

"It's fairly nice over here. I mean, it's not too hot or too cold. But once you step outside, you burn your feet on the cement."

Inuyasha smirked. "Let me guess. You went outside?"

"O-Only to get the newspaper!" she stuttered.

"It's called putting on some shoes, Sango."

"I know that! I just didn't think it'd be _that_ hot!"

"Uh huh. Sure."

"Don't 'uh huh, sure' me!"

"Too bad. I just did."

Before Sango could retort, somebody the background on her line called out "Sango!"

Into the phone, Sango said to Inuyasha, "Hey, hold on a second, okay?"

"Got it."

Sango cupped her hand over the speaking piece of her house phone. "Yeah, Dad?" she yelled. Her father was in the living room, probably on the other side of the house.

Out of curiosity, Inuyasha listened in on the brief conversation between Sango and her dad.

"I need to use the phone to call work," the very masculine-sounding man said. Sometimes, Inuyasha got scared of how deep that man's voice was. Whenever he visited Sango's house, her dad would pop up out of nowhere and check on his princess.

"Okay," Sango sighed. She spoke into the phone, "Hey, Yasha . . . ?"

"I heard."

Sango frowned. "You're not supposed to eavesdrop over people's conversations, you idiot!"

"And you're not supposed to walk around with the phone right next to your face. You are supposed to either put the phone down or hold it a--"

"Okay! I don't need any lessons, thank you very much."

Inuyasha forced himself to hold back a laugh. "Okay, I guess I'll talk to you tomorrow," he said.

"Yeah. Bye."

"Bye."

Inuyasha reluctantly hung up the phone with a sigh. He's rather talk to Sango more. Now he wished even more that Mr. Taijiya would buy his little princess a cell phone. Inuyasha had been friends with Sango since elementary school.

He was getting bullied by some kids because of his hanyou appearance. Then, Sango popped up out of the blue and scared them away. The funny thing about that was that most of the kids in their grade secretly thought that Sango was a demon disguised cleverly as a mere human. To this day, Sango still doesn't know about the bullies' presumptions.

A knock on his door broke Inuyasha's train of thoughts from the past. He looked up to see his gray-haired grandfather walk in with a large smile on his face.

"How is my grandson doing?" the short man asked. He was holding a wrapped-up prism in his large tanned hands. The half demon figured that it was a present.

"It's hot," he complained.

His grandfather nodded. "Your mother is turning on the air conditioner right now. She and your dad were debating over whether or not to turn it on. Your dad was arguing about not wanting to pay more for the gas bill, and your mom said that she didn't want a heat stroke."

Inuyasha smiled. "How did Mom win?" he asked out of curiosity.

"She gave your dad the good ole puppy dog face. Works every time," the elder man chuckled out.

Inuyasha's grandfather was Izayoi's father, a mere human. He was an archeologist. Although he was a bit on the kooky side, Inuyasha felt closest to him the most aside from his mother, Izayoi.

Grandpa (**which he will now be known as in this story**) glanced down at his gold wristwatch. "Oh, I have to leave now," he muttered more to himself than his grandchild. "Well, Inuyasha, before I take my leave, I'd like to give you this." He nudged the wrapped package onto Inuyasha's lap.

"You're working?" the half demon inquired in astonishment.

Grandpa nodded sadly. "Unfortunately, yes. Full time, too. I'm truly sorry, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha shrugged it off. "It's no big deal, Grandpa."

Grandpa chewed his cheek, keeping quiet. "I'll see you tomorrow, Inuyasha. I hope you like your present." With that, the man raced off to bid his family goodbye and get to work on time.

Inuyasha stared at the empty doorway, partially disappointed and partly pissed off. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of a hand before examining Grandpa's present laying dormant on his lap, beckoning the boy to rip off the plain wrapping paper.

The half demon gave in to temptation and removed the crinkly paper. It revealed a solid gold box with some strange inscriptions engraved on the lid. Inuyasha squinted his similar-hued golden eyes to attempt to read it. But he couldn't interpret it. Was it hieroglyphics or something like that? He'll have to ask Grandpa later.

Inuyasha lifted up the box to scrutinize it. It looked like an ordinary box, perfectly polished. A sudden thought made Inuyasha frown at the inanimate object in his large clawed hands.

"This better not be a jewelry box," he grumbled. He narrowed his eyes as he closed his fingers around the top of the box. He pulled, but to no avail. "What the?" He yanked it again. Nothing. He wrenched it, trying as hard as he could. No results. His claws didn't even scratch the smooth gold. "Crap! Why the hell did Grandpa give me a stupid box that won't even open?" Inuyasha growled to himself.

He stood up from his bed and placed the stubborn object on his bedside table. He was going to take a refreshing shower now.

*~*~*

Grandpa steered his small, aged car skillfully through the freeway. He wasn't going to be late; He was going to be right on time. Well, that is, if the stupid old lady in front of him would go faster.

The elderly man growled. "C'mon, lady," he said between his clenched teeth. "Pedal to the metal!"

The young man driving beside him gave Grandpa a weird look.

Grandpa sweat-dropped. He forgot to roll up his window. Eh, whatever. He maneuvered the car to the next lane and drove on.

His thoughts drifted to his grandson. The present Grandpa gave him was an heirloom passed down from generation to generation. His father had given it to him as a present on his seventeenth birthday, telling him about the legend behind it.

His father had told him that there was supernatural power in there. A paramount influence that could change one's life. According to his father, the box had "a chosen one" who could break open the seal of the box and release the power within.

Grandpa sighed. He'd endeavored to open the box so many times, but he was unsuccessful. Maybe Inuyasha could open it . . .

*~*~*

"Damn it, stupid box!" Inuyasha yelled. He furiously put the box down on his dresser. He practically wrestled with the dumb box for about ten minutes, and yet the lid would not come off. He even tipped it upside down, and guess what happened? Absolutely nothing!

Inuyasha paced back and forth, glaring at the box. "What does it take to open that?" he muttered to himself. He glanced at his alarm clock, and groaned. It was nearly midnight now, and he had school tomorrow. "Might as well go to sleep," he said as he tucked himself in. He rolled onto his side away from the box and closed his eyes.

If Inuyasha were still awake, he would've noticed the golden box glowing softly in the night.


	2. Accidents

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: My Internet is so crappy. I think it's whack. See, it works only like one day a week, and today happened to be the day it works. Well, at least until I log off of the computer. So, taking advantage of the Internet working today, I have updated! Review!**

**Chapter 2: Accidents**

"A golden box?" Sango questioned as she and Inuyasha climbed up the steps to their high school. Inuyasha had just finished explaining to her about his birthday present that he'd received from his grandfather.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Eh, I don't know why Grandpa would give me some damn box that can't even open and have weird inscriptions all over it." He tugged lightly on the collar of his school uniform. The lapel was suffocating him, and scratching at the sensitive skin of his neck. He undid a few buttons on his black, uniformed jacket as Sango deliberated.

Today, the weather was a bit humid. It was sprinkling lightly on the school property. Some students lingered under some cherry blossom trees to chit chat with their buddies. Most of the wise ones scurried into the school, using their textbooks to shield their hair from the rain. The sky was shrouded with dull gray clouds, a no-brainer that there was precipitation.

"Maybe you can ask Miroku to translate the inscriptions for you," Sango suggested after a moment of silence. "After all, he is a monk in training." She opened one of the front double doors and stepped into the school.

He gave her a doubtful look. "I'm not sure if he can though. I mean, they look _really_ ancient."

"Speaking of ancient . . ." Sango muttered.

Inuyasha looked up to see their forgetful chemistry teacher, Totousai, shuffling down the hall with a small stack of papers. The half demon couldn't help but stare at the man's humungous bug eyes and pointy beard. He wondered if the guy was married. And if he was . . . Who was the stupid, unfortunate wife?

Eventually, Totousai rounded a corner and disappeared.

Sango sighed. "Ugh, I hate that man. You know he's failing me right now? I'm not even doing anything bad in his class. It's _his_ fault I'm flunking! He always loses all my assignments and he doesn't even remember my name. He calls me Sandy. Sandy!"

Inuyasha shrugged. "At least your name sounds more reasonable than mine. He calls me Igloo," he mumbled.

Sango snorted into the palm of her hand. She remembered that day very clearly.

_~ Flashback ~_

_The class was chattering, ignoring Toutousai's calls for attention. Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha were sitting beside the window, talking about Doritos for some reason._

_Suddenly, the old man shouted, "Silence!"_

_Every student hushed and stared at the man in surprise. They exchanged looks with nearby pals, as if to say they'll catch up on their interrupted conversation later. Inuyasha started making hand signals to Sango, telling her to try ranch-flavored Doritos._

"_Igloo Takahashi, detention!" Totousai bellowed._

"_Igloo?" Inuyasha repeated. Half a second passed before the entire class was roaring with laughter._

_~ End Flashback ~_

"Ugh, that day was very odd," Inuyasha breathed, putting a clawed hand to his forehead.

"Hey, guys!"

Sango narrowed her eyes at the new arrival. "Speaking of odd . . ." she murmured.

Miroku grinned as he looped an arm through each friend's arm. "Aw, come on. Don't be so down. Today's Friday!" he cheerfully exclaimed.

Inuyasha untwisted his arm from the hyper monk's. "I'd be happier if you'd act less like a cheerleader and more like a guy," he said.

"I am a guy!" Miroku protested. "In fact, I'm a man!"

"Uh huh . . ."

"I am! I play football, I flirt with girls, and I have amazing cleanliness. Much more sophisticated than your average guy if I may add." Miroku smiled proudly.

"You're a clean person?" Inuyasha repeated, raising an eyebrow.

Sango nodded reluctantly. "Unfortunately, he is indeed a very clean person. He even buffs his nails," she sighed.

Inuyasha slowly said, "How do you know?"

"I went to the salon with him." The schoolgirl lifted up her own buffed nails with French tips to verify her statement.

Inuyasha gawked at the manicured hands. "Miroku--"

_CRASH!!!_

Two bodies hurtled to the not-so-clean hallway floor in unison. Onlookers immediately paused to stare at the scene before them. Shuffling as close to the wall as they could, the crowd gazed at the upcoming brawl about to take place.

Inuyasha sat up and rubbed his head. Whoever he bumped into had a hard head. Maybe their skulls were composed of stone? He glanced up to see who the idiot was only to find that it was the worst person to crash headfirst into at school. Kouga.

The wolf demon had a reputation of being a playboy and the leader of a gang. He never wore the uniform, and beat up any innocent pupils standing in his way. Many students feared this particular student for his status, and always avoided interaction with him. Rumor was that anybody who messed with Kouga got sent to the hospital.

Inuyasha inwardly gulped as he saw Kouga glare at him with menacing azure eyes. But the half demon wasn't going to show weakness. All he knew was that he didn't want to get sent to the hospital or get jumped by a gang or other possible misfortunes. Begging for forgiveness obviously wasn't going to get him anywhere.

"You fucking bastard," Kouga growled between bared white fangs. His eyes glowed from blue to red repetitively. A bad omen. The eyes of a demon usually flash red whenever they got angry.

The half demon still sitting on the floor raised an eyebrow. This kid's unbelievably pissed off just from falling?

_Jeez, and I thought _I_ had the bad temper, _the hanyou ruminated.

The infuriated wolf demon growled in an intimidating manner. He fisted his large tan hands, his muscles under his wife beater bulging.

_Showoff . . ._

A snarl from Kouga's lips made Inuyasha pay attention to the opening of an upcoming fight. The gang member leaped at the innocuous half demon, who dove out of the way, successfully dodging the surprise attack.

Inuyasha staggered to his feet. Kouga came charging at him with a prepared fist. The half demon didn't have much time to evade the attack and tried to block the hit with his own hands. The force pushed him up against a wall of lockers, his body ensuing a dent on one of the metal lockers.

Sango and Miroku could only watch in horror as their best friend eluded the gang leader's violence. Neither of them wanted to interfere. They'd rather live than die young. No matter how much the pair wanted to kick the wolf's ass to oblivion, they were only humans without weapons. Sure Sango got a black belt in karate and Miroku knew how to exorcise demons, but karate wasn't enough against a rabid weirdo. And Miroku didn't have the proper equipment to exorcise Kouga.

Inuyasha continued dodging Kouga's vigorous strikes. It was getting tiring, yet stimulating somehow. Abruptly, the leaping half demon lost his balance and fell to the floor. Just as Kouga was about to strike once more, security paraded into the hall and tackled the boy. It took about four demons and five humans to hold down Mr. Crazy. A pair of guards stood beside the floored Inuyasha, just in case Kouga broke loose.

The nine safeguards dragged Kouga down the hall to isolate the innocent students from violence.

Kouga bared his fangs at Inuyasha. "You better watch out, mutt," he growled. "When you least expect it, I'll get you." As if the threat wasn't dramatic enough, a clap of thunder sounded from outside.

A dumbstruck Inuyasha sat on the floor, inwardly regretting the accident. Of all the people he could've bumped into, it had to be coincidentally Kouga, the leader of the most feared teenaged gang in Tokyo.

The two security guards who stayed behind ushered everybody to class. Sango and Miroku raced to their friend.

"Inuyasha!" Miroku said.

"Are you okay?" Sango asked, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Inuyasha swore incoherently as he pushed himself up. He shot his friends a glare. "None of this would've happened if you guys didn't get your nails buffed," he muttered.

Miroku and Sango bowed their heads in shame as they shuffled after the half demon to their first class.

*~*~*

"Oh, come on, Yasha! I said I was sorry!"

Silence.

"Seriously, don't give me the silent treatment."

More silence.

"I'm about to kick your ass so hard--"

Inuyasha sighed. He wasn't mad at Sango; He was pissed off that Kouga held such a irrational temper. And he had to suffer through the stupid violence all because some mangy wolf had issues.

"--So you better tell me or all that will happen to you!" Sango finished her own strange threat, concluding the statement with one of her creepy glares.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Inuyasha said. "It's not you and Miroku I'm pissed off at; You guys are naturally queer--"

"Hey!"

"I'm mad at that bastard Kouga."

Sango huffed. "And how many times do I have to tell you to stop fucking cussing?! Say 'that b-word Kouga', not what you said!"

Inuyasha sighed again. Sango was unbelievably clueless right now. Maybe his words will process through her stupid mind over the weekend and then she'll understand.

Sango felt the car jerk. She glanced up and saw that Inuyasha had already parked on the curb of the road beside her house, waiting for her to hop off. "Well, that was fast," she mumbled. The girl grabbed her bag and stepped out of the car. "See you on Monday," she called through the open window.

Inuyasha nodded, and waited until Sango was inside her house before driving off.

For some reason, he had an urge to take out all his anger on the box Grandpa gave him. It doesn't get scratched, so maybe if he took out his anger on that . . .

"What the hell am I thinking?!" Inuyasha yelled to himself as he stepped on the breaks at a red light. Some freshman kid walking home gave him a confused look. Inuyasha rolled his eyes and pushed a button to roll up the windows. "I can't believe I was thinking about taking my anger out on a box. I got to relieve myself the manly way!"

*~*~*

**He cried into his pillow, his shrieks high-pitched and muffled through the cotton and his legs kicking on the bouncy mattress. Haha, nah, just kidding. He actually meant the punching bag. Moving on!**

Inuyasha fiddled with the ring of metal keys in his hand. For some reason, he was having trouble remembering which one opened the front door. Everyone was at work, so there was absolutely no point in knocking. And breaking in wouldn't work either because of the security system his family installed into the home.

"Aha! Found it!" he chanted as he lifted up a silver key. Suddenly, he dropped the keys. "Damn it . . ." He retrieved them and looked for the key again.

Until he heard a sob. A sob from inside. Somebody was weeping in his house.

_What the hell? _he thought. He hurriedly found the correct key and unlocked the door. He found everybody home, silent and pale. Even his older brother, Sesshoumaru, was home. InuTaisho was embracing a weeping Izayoi. The crying woman shakily lifted her head, tears streaming down her cheeks. That's when Inuyasha realized that there was somebody missing.

"Where's Grandpa?" he whispered.

Izayoi bawled into her husband's arms again.

One lone tear escaped Inuyasha's eye when he realized what happened.

Grandpa was gone.


	3. Mystery

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: One more week till spring break (for me)! Too bad it's only a short week. Lately, I've been getting attached to Yu-Gi-Oh. When I went to middle school, that anime was long forgotten until about a month ago. I'm not **_**obsessed**_** with it, I just love it. I might write a fanfic for Yu-Gi-Oh, but I still need to relearn everything about the show, especially the characters. Well, anyways! Here's a new chapter! Hope you like it! :)**

**Mystery**

He knew it'd happen eventually, but the day after his birthday? Inuyasha was distressed, even weeks after his Grandpa's death.

The police had called Izayoi at two in the morning, explaining that her father was driving home when he got into an accident. Part of the reason was that Grandpa was unbelievably exhausted after work, but the overall reason was because of a drunk man running through a red light. The man had escaped the scene, leaving Grandpa to die alone.

It angered Inuyasha, but it dismayed Izayoi to a great extent. The poor woman was still crying now. All the mother did was lay in bed, weeping. She'd hardly ever stepped foot out of the bedroom; Her husband usually fetched her food and she used the master bathroom to her advantage.

Weeks had passed at a snail's pace, slowly dividing the Takahashi family. Inuyasha didn't remember when he last talked to anybody in his family. Sesshoumaru had gone back to his apartment, his mom was locking herself in her bedroom, and his dad was nearly always by Izayoi's side. This family was being torn apart over Grandpa's death.

Inuyasha glanced at the golden box his Grandpa had given him the day before his death.

_Open it._

The half demon flinched at the voice inside his head. It must be his persnickety conscience. He wanted to ignore it, but it sounded as if it was speaking into a microphone.

_Open the box._

Inuyasha groaned. Instead of complying, he flopped backwards onto his bed and rested his forearms over his eyes. He was exhausted due to the loss of sleep.

_Your Grandpa would want you to open the box._

The hanyou frowned. Why would Grandpa want him to open the box? What was so special about the box? Perhaps the old man had it at some point in his life. Maybe the golden box was a family heirloom. He did remember Grandpa telling him something. Something to do with that box . . .

That's right! When Inuyasha visited Grandpa at his house, he spotted that box on the top of a mantelpiece in the living room. Being so young, the half demon had asked his grandfather what it was. Grandpa had explained that it was a gift that had been passed down through generations given to him by his father.

Inuyasha sat up on his bed, keeping his eyes focused on the unusual, gleaming gold prism. Maybe he could try one more time.

He picked up the small chest, sat down on the edge of his bed, and placed it gently on his lap. He took a moment of silence to examine the box closely. The inscriptions were still unreadable, and there was no lock; Just a plain old box with an ordinary lid. But why was it so difficult to pull off the lid? Did his great-great-grandfather super-glue the damn lid down just as a little prank?

Inuyasha shook his head to erase the random thoughts. He positioned his fingers just beneath the bottom of the cover and pulled as hard as he could.

Nothing.

The half demon threw the box on the floor and buried his head into his pillow. He wasn't in the mood to do anything now. He wanted to cry, yet at the same time he didn't want to show weakness. He wanted to punch the hell out of the punching bag in the basement, but he was much too tired to even go downstairs. He wanted to sleep, however he didn't feel like it. What the hell's the matter with him?

Inuyasha closed his amber eyes in hopes of relaxing himself. Today was almost as hot as his birthday, but not as excruciating. Nonetheless, sweat trickled down from his forehead, down his jaw line, and to his chin before dripping down upon the pillowcase.

His birthday was the last time he saw Grandpa. On that oppressive, muggy day was the ultimate moment in time when he'd heard Grandpa's final words:

"_I'll see you tomorrow, Inuyasha. I hope you like your present."_

A sigh escaped from the half breed's lips. His closed eyes were filling up with tears, but none dripped out from the small gap between the eyelids.

A cool zephyr gently blew from an anonymous source and caressed the skin of his tanned arms. The temperature of the breeze cooled him down. A mellow aura lingered in his bedroom, providing Inuyasha soothing vibes of relaxation. He drifted off into the dream state.

*~*~*

"Late again, Mr. Takahashi?" the economics teacher said as she received his hall pass.

Inuyasha grunted as he walked past her to his seat in the middle row. His nap had taken much longer than he thought; he'd slept through the entire afternoon, through the night, up until ten o'clock in the sunlit morning.

The teacher shook her head in disappointment, and continued lecturing her class.

Sango looked at Inuyasha from across the room. The hanyou looked oddly refreshed today. Not the energetic, spirited kind, but the healthy type. Over the past couple of weeks since his grandfather had died, Inuyasha looked horrible. He always fell asleep during class, had raccoon-like eyes, etcetera. Overall, he looked awful. But today was something else. She glanced at Miroku sitting behind her, exchanging confused looks. The puzzled teenaged girl chewed pensively on the pink eraser at the end of her number two pencil. Something was up.

Not long after the latest arrival had . . . well, _arrived_, the bell rung. The students packed their books and writing utensils into their bags and headed out the door in an unorganized manner.

Inuyasha rose from his seat and stretched his arms. He actually paid attention in class for once. Frankly, it was still as boring as it had been since the first day. Too bad this class was required for graduation. If it wasn't, he would've dropped this class already and taken another PE class. He glimpsed at his two best friends stuffing their supplies into their satchels, talking to each other in low voices. Inuyasha waited by the door for them, pretending to be distracted by the poster of the school dress code.

Miroku took a quick look at Inuyasha over Sango's shoulder. "He's acting so . . . _normal_. What do you think happened to him over the weekend?"

Sango shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe he finally managed to open the box he told me about."

Miroku paused. "What box?" he asked. He picked up a pen from his desktop and carefully put it inside his pack.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about it," Sango said, realizing she'd never mentioned a word to Miroku about Grandpa's birthday present. "Inuyasha's grandpa gave him a golden box for his birthday the day before he died. Inuyasha told me that he couldn't even open it."

"A golden box that can't be opened?" Miroku repeated. "Does it have weird inscriptions all over it?"

"That's what Inuyasha told me."

"That's really weird . . ."

"Well, guess what?" Sango said.

"What?"

"So are you." She walked away with her bag slung over her shoulder.

"C'mon, Sango! Stop being so mean!" Miroku pouted, following her towards the door.

Sango shrugged. "Sorry, it's kind of a habit. It's so hard to be nice to you, you know?"

"No, I don't know," the boy answered.

"UDK?" the schoolgirl asked.

"IDK," Miroku approved.

Inuyasha turned around. All he heard was the UDK and IDK thing he, Miroku, and Sango made up. "Hey, guys," he greeted.

"Morning, sleepyhead!" Sango chanted. She clapped him on the back. "How are you doing?" she loudly asked in a rather blissful tone.

"Uh . . . Good. Thanks," the half demon answered. Freaky child . . .

The trio entered the cafeteria, grabbed their lunches, and sat down at their usual bench. They ate and talked as if Inuyasha's depression never existed. Just like the good times before Grandpa died. Sango and Miroku, not wanting to destroy Inuyasha's jovial mood, did not question the half demon about anything Grandpa-related. They'd rather converse with a smiling Inuyasha than a miserable Inuyasha.

Suddenly, Sango dropped her fork on her tray. Something she'd witnessed for the first time ever surprised her. She gawked at the half demon talking to Miroku.

Inuyasha saw Sango staring at him after a while. "What?" he asked.

"Inuyasha," Sango said. "Since when did you start wearing a rosary?"

"A what?" Inuyasha looked down and, sure enough, a rosary was hanging around his neck. "What the? I don't remember putting one on this morning." The rosary had a pattern of five glinting black beads, then a white tooth, five more beads, and so on. He hardly ever wore jewelry, let alone a rosary.

Miroku observed the necklace closely. "Inuyasha, I know what that is," he remarked quietly. "And it's not good."

"Why? What is it?"

"It's a rosary with the beads of subjugation."

Inuyasha and Sango stared at the monk.

"Translation please?" Sango requested.

Miroku sighed. "It means that when you have on a rosary similar to Inuyasha's, then a priest or priestess can put a spell on you and force you obey them."

"Oh, hell no!" Inuyasha attempted to yank the rosary off, but it didn't work. The beads flashed and remained around his neck. "I can't take it off!"

Miroku folded his arms over the table. "Then, somebody must've already put a spell on you," he supposed.

"What?!"

Sango crossed her arms over her chest. "Ooh, that sucks for you," she commented with a upset shake of her head.

Inuyasha felt his pulse racing. Somebody had somehow put a rosary on him and chanted some creepy spell without his knowing, and his two best friends are merely pitying him instead of trying to help? Butt-faces.

"So, what do I do?" he asked Miroku.

"Well," Miroku said. "If I were you, I'd continue on with my life. And when weird things start happening to you, you should probably go see a priest or a miko."

"Can't you take it off?"

"I'm a monk, not a priest."

"Is there a difference?" Sango interjected.

Miroku shrugged.

*~*~*

Inuyasha fingered the rosary thoughtfully. During the remainder of the school day, he continuously glanced down at the necklace. He'd tried taking it off, but to no avail.

Maybe the weirdo who put a spell on him did it while he was asleep. Probably. The sneaky bastard.

Inuyasha let his eyes wander the room. His eyes landed on the floor where there was a small dent. He raised an eyebrow, not remembering his last attempt to open the box. The half demon finally found the box hidden in the corner of his bedroom. Something seemed different.

Inuyasha knelt closer to observe the golden box more closely. Now he understood why it looked so out of the ordinary.

The box was open.


	4. Cause And Effect

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha.**

**Author's Note: Yay! It is finally spring break for me! I am so happy! And, to celebrate this moment of joy for me, I have updated this story once more. Yeah, I know what you're thinking: Why hasn't she updated Summer Sweetheart or Silverlake Boarding School? Well . . . It's because I am taking a break from them. I haven't completely lost interest in them though, so don't worry! I will try to work on them as much as my short attention span will allow me to! Anyways, if I haven't told you once, I shall say it again, PLEASE REVIEW!!**

**Chapter 4: Cause And Effect**

Inuyasha frowned at the box. After all of his attempts to open the box, it opens when he didn't know. Or maybe it was open because he'd thrown it on the floor. He reached out and picked up the box along with its lid. Then, he stood from his crouching position and seated himself on his squishy bed. He inquisitively peered into the now-open prism.

"Huh?" he said aloud. There was absolutely nothing inside the box. What the heck was going on? He checked the lid. No Super Glue, no tape, nothing. Inuyasha wasn't the type of person to believe in magic and fairies and all that Harry Potter crap, but now he was on the brink of trusting that it was indeed genuine.

His hand immediately snatched his cell phone from out of his school uniform pants pocket and dialed Sango's house number.

"Hello?"

"Sango, come over. Quick."

"Got it."

Next step. His claw-tipped fingers dialed another number.

"Hello?"

"Miroku, come over. And hurry."

"Oh, I don't know. My mom was going to make spaghetti for din-"

"Miroku!"

"Okay, I'm going!"

*~*~*

Strangely, both Sango and Miroku arrived at the same time, panting since they were sprinting from their homes, through the warm late afternoon, to Inuyasha's house. InuTaisho had answered the door and was nearly trampled by the two rushing teens. After throwing quick apologies over their shoulders, the pair of friends jogged up the stairs and burst through the door to Inuyasha's bedroom.

"What's the emergency?" Sango panted heavily, leaning against Miroku for support.

Inuyasha glanced up at his tired friends. "Come here," he said, ushering his friends over with a nippy gesture of his hand. His companions complied, plopping down on the bed on either side of him. "Look inside the box," he told them. They peered into the box.

"There's nothing in the box, Inuyasha," Miroku bluntly said.

"I know."

The monk in training looked at his female pal. 'Has he gone mental?' he mouthed to her.

She rolled her coffee eyes and Inuyasha growled. In order to keep her hanyou friend calm, Sango gently rubbed small circles on his upper back; it was one of the few ways to keep him contained. "Let me explain," she offered. To Miroku, she started the mysterious tale. "When Inuyasha was a little kid, he saw the same golden box in Grandpa's house, so he asked his grandpa what was inside it. Grandpa admitted that he didn't know what was inside, but he said that it was a gift that had been passed down through generations given to him by his father. When the box was given to him, Inuyasha figured that there must be something important inside. And now that the box is opened and there's nothing inside, it kind of left him dumbfounded."

"I'm not dumbfounded!"

Sango frowned slightly at her friend's interjection. "Do you even know what dumbfounded means?"

"No, but I do know that I'm not dumb."

Miroku and Sango sweat-dropped.

"Anyways!" Miroku interrupted the odd moment of silence. "Your reason for calling us over here was . . . ?"

"To ask for your opinion on why the box is empty," Inuyasha finished the prompt. He looked at each friend. "So . . . What do you think?"

Miroku thoughtfully rubbed his chin while Sango stared at the ceiling in consideration. Both were leaning on the same idea, but they weren't quite so sure about their presumptions. They could be wrong, and they didn't want to give their friend the wrong answer. But since the half demon was interested . . .

"Well," Miroku said. "I may be wrong, but I think that the object inside the box was that rosary around your neck."

Sango nodded in agreement. "That's what I'm guessing, too," she said. "That's the only weird thing that's happened since Friday."

Miroku turned to his confused hanyou buddy. "Inuyasha, have you attempted to open the box over the weekend?"

"Yeah."

"And did it open when you tried?"

"No."

"No?" Miroku was now puzzled.

Sango decided to take over the interrogation. "When did you find out that the box was open?"

"Not too long ago."

"Where was it?"

"In the corner."

"How did it get into the corner?"

"I threw it there . . ."

Sango and Miroku looked at each other. This was a mystery even a straight-A student and a monk in training couldn't figure out.

"That's weird," Miroku commented. "Apparently, the box opened when you threw it, but not when you attempted to actually lift the lid off." He closed his eyes in order to ponder over this dilemma better. An idea struck him. "Maybe it was something you did . . . that stimulated it."

"What do you mean?" Sango asked.

"Like, he probably . . . _did_ something to make the box open by itself. Maybe it was activated by a certain action . . . or an emotion." He turned to the quiet half demon. "What emotion were you feeling at the time you tried to open the box, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha stared into the golden depths of the polished rectangle of mystery. He was taking all of this information in and processing it through his intricate mind. Instead of answering Miroku's question vocally, he responded mentally.

_I felt hopeless at the time. I felt as if my life was being torn apart bit by bit, like there was no one in my life who could understand the complications in my life. Grandpa was one of the few people who understood, but his life was taken away from mine. I can no longer speak to him, ask him for advice, joke around with him. All of that was gone. Mom is the other person who understands me. But she's still mourning over Grandpa's death. _

_I guess I miss having a mentor by my side, one who doesn't have vital problems in their lives. There's nobody like that within my grasp. Maybe all I need is a role model, someone I can look up to that's always there for me, to comfort me, to love me._

_Maybe the box was triggered by the emotion of helpless vulnerability and misery that I was feeling. When I tried to open the box yesterday, I felt that if I could open it, I'd accomplish something my mother and Grandpa would want to me to do. Like a test. Opening the box to me was like a test, a goal to prove myself. And when I failed, I felt as if I betrayed my family by showing that I haven't learned a thing they'd taught me for years. I felt like a traitor, and I threw the box out of anger._

_When I lay down on my bed, I started remembering Grandpa's last words, which made me feel heartbroken. Just before I fell asleep, the unbearable heat suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a cool breeze. Was that the aftermath of me throwing the box? Did the box open because I threw it out of rage?_

_So, the box opened because of my strong emotions? Maybe so. But what does emotions have to do with that weird gold box? And the rosary? Some questions answered, so many left unanswered . . ._

"Inuyasha?" Sango murmured.

"Let him think," Miroku quietly said from beside the hanyou.

Inuyasha snapped out of his meditation. He had come to a conclusion. The box had opened because of his emotions. Although he wasn't quite sure about the involvement of the rosary, he was somewhat satisfied with his solution. Sure it may be erroneous, but oh well. At least he gave it some thought.

Miroku's cell phone started ringing from inside his jeans pocket. He pulled it out and pressed the green 'talk' button. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mom! . . . Oh, I'm at Inuyasha's casa! . . . Okay. Sorry, Mom . . . Yes, Mom . . . Okay, I'll be home in five minutes. Bye." He hung up, tossed the phone in the air, and caught it stylishly in the palm of his hand.

"Your mom called?" Sango guessed, oblivious to the fact that Inuyasha was no longer deep in thought.

Miroku nodded. "Yup. She told me to immediately go home 'cause I didn't tell her that I was leaving."

Sango shrugged. "So what? I didn't tell my dad."

"Bet you'll get in trouble."

"I know."

Miroku stood up from the mattress. "Hey, Yasha, I got to go."

Inuyasha nodded. The pair performed a commonly-used handshake before Miroku dashed out of the room.

The female stared at the male for a moment until she heard the slamming of the front door being shut. "All right," she said as she shut the bedroom door. "Spill."

He wrinkled his eyebrows at her. "Okay, one, I'm not some gossip girl like you. And, two, spill what? I don't have a glass of water."

She rolled her eyes. "I meant spill as in 'tell me what you were thinking about for the last couple of minutes'."

The half demon rested his elbows upon his knees. "Well, I was thinking that the box opened because of my emotions. Sounds stupid, I know. But that's the only reasonable thing I could come up with."

Sango nodded. "What about the rosary? I'm wondering why the beads of subjugation was placed in a box that gets triggered by strong emotions. Subjugation is the act of forcing somebody to do something."

"Did you look that up in the dictionary?"

"Yes I have."

It was Sango's turn to have her cell phone ring. She flipped open her pink flip phone and said, "Hello? Oh, hi, Daddy! What's up? . . . Um, I'm at Inuyasha's house . . . NO, we didn't do anything like that! What's wrong with you?! . . . Okay, Daddy . . . Love you. Bye." She flipped it shut with a sigh. "I'm in trouble," she muttered.

Inuyasha patted her on the back. "Sorry I got you in trouble," he said.

She waved a hand. "Oh, it's fine. I'll probably only get a lecture and that's it." She rose and turned to her friend. "Well, I shall see you tomorrow." She stuck out her hand. "High five!"

The hanyou reluctantly gave her one. She happily skipped out of the room, apparently content that she finally got a high five from him for a while.

Inuyasha flopped backwards on his bed. Life was so confusing and mysterious to him. You never know what will happen next. Something unexpected could happen to you without realizing what caused it to occur. For example, you could trip in the hallway at school and then the next day be known as The Klutz. Or, in Inuyasha's case, he was born as a half demon, one of the common outcasts at his school. Every half breed at Four Souls High School was always destined to be an outsider. Luckily, there are some humans and rarely demons that feel pity for the half demons and befriend them.

"Inuyasha?"

He opened his eyes and sat up to meet the cerulean blue irises of his mother's. "Oh, hey, Mom," he murmured, very surprised. This was the first time she had spoken to him since the death of Grandpa.

Izayoi weakly smiled at him, closing the door behind her. She seated herself next to her wide-eyed son. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?" she said in a quiet voice. "Since we've last talked?"

The son slowly nodded. "Yeah, the . . . event separated our whole family." Inuyasha stared down at the floor in grief.

"Yes, yes it has." Izayoi studied her chewed-down nails in hopes of not weeping once more in front of her youngest son.

Inuyasha wondered why his mother had walked into his room after six long weeks, approximately five weeks after the interment.

He clearly remembered the day of Grandpa's funeral. He memorized the peaceful look on Grandpa's face as he lay in the open casket, his body clad in white clothes. His wrinkled, tanned hands were folded over his stomach, his trademark gold wristwatch adorning his wrist. Every member of his family had kissed him on the cheek, warm tears streaming down their own cool cheeks. The funeral church was chilly, every attendee fully clothed in all black, right down to the shoes.

Grandpa's wife had already died after giving birth to her second child, Izayoi. Izayoi, being Grandpa's only daughter, was wearing a large black dress with black gloves and black shoes. The only skin showing was the flesh of her face. InuTaisho stood solemnly next to her, silently staring down at the deceased old man. Eventually, she had managed to choke back her sobs and kiss her father on the cold cheek.

Inuyasha couldn't even bear to recall the image of the last time he'd seen Grandpa's expression before the casket was closed. The burial was almost as worse as the funeral itself, seeing the casket being lowered into the giant grave. He shook his head to get rid of the thoughts.

Izayoi looked at her shaking child. Her unsmiling face turned into one of sympathy. "You're thinking about the funeral, too?" she whispered.

At that point, Inuyasha could no longer control his emotions. Uncontainable sobs escaped his lips as his body quivered violently. His mother wrapped her arms around him and cried along with him. The mother and son wept in unison in a distressing embrace.

*~*~*

Sango stood in front of the doorway, uncertain of whether she should turn back to console Inuyasha or go home and receive that dreadful lecture that was constantly recited by her father. Although she wasn't a demon, she cold hear the sobs belonging to Inuyasha and Izayoi. She'd barely made it to the bottom step of the spiraling staircase when she'd heard the cries of the pair.

Sango knew which window corresponded to Inuyasha's bedroom. It was the one glowing brightly in the twilight beside the mighty oak tree. She stared at the deciduous tree for a moment, memorizing the amount of acorns and leaves per branch, until she saw a weird-looking branch. All of the other boughs were crooked lines of wood while this one in particular was a just a big lump. The section was almost the size of a baby bear or a large raccoon. The clump moved slightly, shifting closer to the trunk of the tree.

The brunette schoolgirl shrugged. It was probably just a dumb raccoon or something. Then, the animal swiveled its head at her, its eyes glowing an eerie yellow. Sango started getting scared. Whatever that thing was, it was really starting to creep her out. The eyes continued to glare at her, unblinking.

She turned and sprinted away as fast as her legs could carry her.


End file.
